Connected Conversations | Joshua Kovoor
Dr Joshua Kovoor is dedicated to improving healthcare, not only through his clinical work but also through research that aims to make the recovery process after surgery smoother and more effective.
His commitment led him to create initiatives such as Health and Information (HI) and the Grampians Research Initiative (GRIT), where he fosters collaboration and innovation to bring about positive change. Joshua enjoys working alongside others, from medical and diverse backgrounds, believing that together, they can create lasting impact in healthcare and the lives of those who need it.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Josh, and I’m a doctor (General Surgery Principal House Officer), and I have an interest in research to improve healthcare alongside my clinical practice. Through my work, I want to help people recover smoothly from surgery, and make it easier for them to deal with. I find working with others enjoyable and interesting, particularly collaborating with people from different fields and viewpoints. To facilitate this for others, I’ve set up multiple innovation and research initiatives that provide communities for people to get involved in research, and undertake their ideas. In Adelaide I established Health and Information (HI), which now works across multiple states, and last year in Ballarat in regional Victoria, I helped to establish the Grampians Research Initiative (GRIT).
What was your first area of study and what drew you to this space?
I pursued medicine as I enjoyed the combination of working with people and science that it provides. It also seemed like the best way that I could do new things that make a positive difference for others. I’m interested in general surgery as it incorporates a wide range of areas, and ways that you can make this difference. Within this, my first area of research included thinking about how we can improve people’s experiences and outcomes around surgery.
What inspired you to pursue a career in health?
Despite living a healthy lifestyle, my maternal grandfather experienced multiple life-threatening, and certainly life-altering, illnesses. This occurred throughout my school years, at an age when I could start to understand what was going on. The healthcare staff implemented a range of care, from preventative measures to emergency surgery, that not only saved his life, but allowed him to maintain a good quality of life. He was also a general practitioner (GP), and was able to help others in the community and hospital setting. His experiences were a big inspiration for me to pursue a career in health, and it’s a lifelong goal of mine to benefit health at the individual, community, and population level however I can.
What has been your journey to get where you are today?
From about midway through medical school I knew I was interested in a career in surgery and research. This prompted me to undertake an Honours year in 2020 so that I could learn more about both areas. However the COVID-19 pandemic caused my planned projects to fall through. I remain grateful that my principal supervisor, Professor Guy Maddern, gave me the opportunity to work with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) to review new evidence regarding the effects of the pandemic on surgical systems of care. Being in that environment taught me a lot, and that became my Honours work. After this, I was fortunate to be supported by my supervisors (Professor Maddern and Professor Karen Jones), Adelaide Medical School, and the Dean of Graduate Studies at the time, Emeritus Professor Michael Liebelt, to start a PhD concurrently to my final year of medical school, and also to pursue my own ideas and studies I’d designed.
What are you working on now?
I’ve now completed my PhD, for which I undertook a range of research to improve recovery and outcomes after general surgery. The studies aimed to identify factors that impact recovery and outcomes, and then develop systems to predict and enhance the postoperative recovery process. This included the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including the Adelaide Score, which has now been successfully implemented with significant benefits at the Lyell McEwen Hospital.
I’m grateful to have recently been named a Fulbright Future Scholar by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, which allows me to undertake a postdoctoral fellowship in AI and robotic surgery research with Dr Andrew Hung and his Lab at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA, later this year. Through the prestigious honour of being a Fulbright Future Scholar, a current priority of mine is to fulfil the ambassadorial qualities of the role, and establish international collaborations for research that will ultimately benefit Australian healthcare and society. The most exciting thing for me is that the research can make an objective, and provable, difference in the experience of people who need healthcare, and also for the healthcare staff that deliver this care.
What do you love most about the University of Adelaide?
The spirit of collaboration. Everyone is welcoming and open to working together, and this allow us to do great work much more efficiently and effectively than we could ever do as individuals.
What does the future look like for your area of study?
In the future, technology will increase the precision of surgical systems of care beyond what we can currently imagine. I am grateful to be able to experience the cutting edge of this through my Fulbright Future Scholarship, particularly as the research I will be involved in is at the forefront of both AI and robotic surgery. In the future we will be able to predict and prevent problems well before they happen, so that people’s return to good health and their normal lives can happen quickly and smoothly. I hope that my research can contribute towards this becoming a reality. In 10 years I hope to have completed surgical training, and expand my collaborative networks while building on the research I’m currently doing with further work that benefits people’s healthcare both in and out of hospital.
What is your favourite thing about living in Adelaide?
How close everything is, and also how friendly everyone is. Living in Adelaide you’re easily able to do several things both for work, and outside work, because things are nearby and the city is really well-designed. The street of North Terrace is a great example of this! In my free time I go to the gym, play basketball, enjoy the local food scene, or go for walks along the river Torrens.
What’s something that people are surprised to find out about you?
That I’m completely open to working together on pretty much any project, even if it’s far removed from my main clinical interest of general surgery. If we can do or create something that benefits the world around us, then I believe it’s worthwhile.
If you had to give a TED Talk about something unrelated to your studies, what would you speak about?
How to collaborate with others. In fact, I’ve given a range of talks like this at the seminars within the Health and Information (HI) initiative and many other forums, and will do more in the future. Working together is crucial to everything we do, and it’s something that’s universal to any area or field.
If you could time travel, when and where would you go?
Definitely the future. We know a lot about the past, but we can barely imagine what’s to come. Many of the things that are normal to us now didn’t even exist 10-20 years ago, and innovation is causing the world to change at an ever-faster rate.